The Forsaken

“Did he?”

“Yes, sir,” Qui

“And started that church out in the county,” Stevens said. “The one in the barn. The River?”

“Dixon used their confessions and told Joh

“But that part can’t be proved,” Stevens said. “Just stay with the basics. Two escaped convicts kidnapped your sister, who was Jamey Dixon’s girlfriend, and her young son.”

“Yes, sir.”

“And those convicts demanded their money back?”

“One convict,” Qui

“So that one convict, Esau Davis, wanted to exchange cash for your sister and nephew? You were scared as hell they might be harmed.”

“Yes, sir,” Qui

“And how did Chief Chappell and his officer figure into this?”

“They were waiting for all of us to show,” Qui

“Me and you both know Leonard Chappell was a joke as police chief and the head stooge for Joh

“Leonard had no reason to be there but to steal that cash.”

“Of course,” Stevens said. “But the story the DA will tell is that they came to save the goddamn day and that you and Lillie killed them both to cover y’all’s ass. That way all that money was yours without witnesses.”

“Bullshit,” Qui

“They’re going to say it was Lillie Virgil.”

“Guns didn’t match,” Qui

“They’ll say she brought another gun.”

“That’s insane.”

“You bet,” Stevens said. “But you better prepare for that part of their story.”

Stevens swallowed and moved from the window. He reached for a cut-glass decanter at a small bar near his desk and motioned to Qui

“They can twist the story as they please,” Stevens said. “We got two dead lawmen, two dead convicts, and a shitload of cash, flying wild and free, after this all went down. They claim nearly ten thousand is still unaccounted for.”

“You know how many people went out into the hills after this happened?” Qui

“However this goes, it’ll destroy your name,” Stevens said. “They’ll destroy Lillie’s, too. They’ll ask questions about y’all’s relationship, relationships she might have with other, um, individuals. You got an election in April.”

“You saying I should make a deal?”

“No, sir,” Stevens said, sipping a bit more from the mug. His light blue eyes and red cheeks brightened a bit, him inhaling deeply as things were getting settled. “There’s no deal to make. Not yet. Just preparing you for the shitstorm as we go into an election year. I don’t think that fact is lost on anyone, particularly not Joh

“Mr. Stevens, how about we not discuss Joh

“Whiskey makes it a little easier,” he said. “Soothes the stomach. Stagg’s been ru

“Lillie saved my ass,” Qui

“Could’ve been any one of Stagg’s goons.”

“This individual wasn’t a goon,” Qui

“You see anything at all?”

“Hard to look around when you hit the ground and crawl under a pickup truck.”

“Imagine so,” Stevens said. “And Lillie?”

“No, sir,” Qui

“How could you be sure Leonard wanted you dead?”

“He was aiming a pistol straight at my head,” Qui

Stevens turned and leaned back against the windowsill and stared out at the rebuilding of downtown Jericho. Among the piles of brick, busted wood, and torn-away roofs, all that remained standing on that side of downtown after the storm was the old rusted water tower by the Big Black River. Now they were even repainting the tower from a rusted silver to a bright blue. New sidewalks. New roads. The Piggly Wiggly had reopened, with the Dollar Store not long to follow. There was word that Jericho might even be getting a Walmart.

“Did you hear Stagg is going to cut the ribbon when they reopen the Square?” Stevens asked.

“I did.”

“To read about it in the papers, he is the sole person responsible for the rebirth of this town with the grants and handshakes he’s made in Jackson.”

“I guess anyone can be a hero.”

“We’ll get this matter straight, Qui

“And what can I do while we wait to hear from the DA?”

“Not much,” Stevens said. “But if they indicate for a moment this goes beyond just an inquiry, you better have my ass on speed dial.”

•   •   •

In Memphis, Joh

Stagg toasted Ringold with his coffee mug. Ringold nodded back. Man probably didn’t weigh a hundred eighty pounds or stand much higher than five foot ten. He was plain and bland as Wonder Bread, with a shaved head and stubbled black beard, his blue eyes almost translucent. While you wouldn’t notice Ringold in a crowd, he probably had a hundred ways to kill a man with a salad fork.

Ringold had come to him that summer, not long after the storm, looking for work and laying out credentials that made him smile. He was three years out of uniform, a former Special Forces soldier, Blackwater operator, and all-around bad dude with a gun. Stagg had made some calls to some people Ringold had worked for and they couldn’t say enough about how he handled himself. Stagg figured losing Leonard had been a damn blessing. He’d traded out a goddamn Oldsmobile for a Cadillac.

Stagg sucked a tooth, turned the De